The City

Safe in His hands

In Psalm 55, David appears to be in trouble, as he often has been. There are those who bring trouble upon him and are angry and bear grudges against him. He knows fear and trembling and horror overwhelms him. He wishes he could fly away and be at rest and find shelter.

Part of his concern is that his adversary is not an enemy, but it’s a companion, his familiar friend. They used to take sweet counsel together and walked together in God’s house.

But in the midst of such concern over his present situation, David knows the right step to take. He says, “But I call to God, and the LORD will save me. Evening and morning and at noon I utter my complaint and moan, and He hears my voice. He redeems my soul in safety from the battle that I wage, for many are arrayed against me.” David understands that his strength is in his Lord and his help comes from God.

He knows that God will hear his prayer as he cries out for help.

Most of all, he remembers that God has redeemed his soul and he is secure despite his current circumstances. He knows he is ultimately safe in God’s hands even if he is not delivered from his present situation, although he prays for deliverance. His true confidence is in his God.

What an example David is for us! We can identify with him in similar ways. We may not have a familiar friend who is against us. We may not have outward enemies who are trying to destroy us. But we find ourselves in various situations that seem overwhelming to us. Perhaps it’s something brought on by our own sin for which we need to repent. But often it’s a circumstance that appears to come from outside us. We find ourselves facing broken family relationships, chronic illness, job challenges, financial difficulties, loss of loved ones and even just discouragement due to the hectic pace of life and pressure from all directions. It might make it seem that everything is against us and we may see no means of relief.

David’s words and example are a great encouragement to us. The first step to take is to call on God, crying out in our complaint. He is always welcoming us to come to His throne of grace to find mercy and help in our time of need. He hears our prayer of supplication and knows our need before we ask. His Spirit is our Comforter in our distress. He is our strength in our weakness.

We may not receive a promise that all relationships will be mended or that we will be healed or that the challenges we face will be solved or that life will be easier. But He is with us through every situation.

Even if our circumstances are not resolved, we agree with David that we are ultimately safe in God’s hands because He has redeemed us from our sins and one day we will see Him face to face.

David provides advice near the end of the psalm. He says, “Cast your burden on the LORD, and He will sustain you; He will never permit the righteous to be moved.” May we cast those burdens on Him today and every day until we see Him.

Dale

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Comments

Mary Leadbetter

Amen!

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Donna Dean

Thank you, Dale, for this reminder of God’s faithful care and provision in all of life.

Redeemer Church

We exist to equip God’s people to delight in His glory and declare that glory to our neighbors and the nations.

For more information, please visit our main site at www.RedeemerFortWorth.org.